


The Sarkany's Plight

by WhatsaMolar



Category: Original Work
Genre: At least one Monster Girl of some sort is involved but it's not enough to tag the whole thing, Blood Magic, Bodyswap, Dark Magic, Elemental Magic, Fantasy, Gen, Gets a little kinky but not too much, I can be a little indecisive so expect some details to be changed from time to time, I guess the protagonist is technically male regardless of his current body, Magic-Users, Magical Artifacts, Not sure about romance and I'm not confident in my skills there, Obvious Japanese media influence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Weird Biology, it gets weird, the protagonist doesn't know what to think of it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 20:33:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16249280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatsaMolar/pseuds/WhatsaMolar
Summary: After an unfortunate incident, a young man wakes up in a world where magic and monsters exist. As if that wasn't confusing enough, he's stuck in an undoubtedly beautiful body...of a monster girl. Luckily, a young mage is here to help, but nothing is ever simple and so the process of going back to her own world will be a difficult one. Does she have what it takes to reach her goal?





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> It's October and I felt like writing something perhaps a little strange and not completely original, but such is fiction. Average chapter length will be 1.5K and above, but I'm not sure how often I will update it. I did make sure to check out some official T-rated works to see what I can get away with.
> 
> I assure you that POVs won't change around too often. It's mostly 1st person POV.
> 
> Update (29.12.2018): slightly modified the first 3 chapters for various reasons.

A loud roar reverberates around an unusually large room.

Amid the ruins of what once was a throne room stand two figures, each drastically different from one another. The smaller one of the two, a person that appears to be a human male of lean build and pale complexion with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair and green eyes, points his bloodstained spear at his opponent. In his eyes, he has already won this battle, but it's too early for him to drop his guard. One does not live long without being cautious and he is fully aware of it.

A dozen feet away from the man stands a reptilian beast twice his size. Its large jet-black body is clad in equally dark heavy armor, but it has already sustained major damage. This only further enrages the dragon, which in turn makes it emit dark purple energy from its body. With another roar, the negative energy disperses and all of its wounds vanish without a trace. Satisfied with the results, the beast does its best impression of a smirk, but to its surprise, the man's confidence doesn't waver.

In response, the man sets his spear aside and raises his free arm, spilling his own blood from the tips of his fingers despite the lack of any visible wounds. Instead of obeying gravity, the spilt blood remains suspended in the air before spreading around their owner and forming glyphs.

" **Erinnerung an Blut!** "

His opponent recognizes this spell, but it's already too late to stop it. As soon as the glyphs turn black, blood erupts from the beast, almost completely nullifying its attempt to heal itself. With another roar, the dragon slams its clawed hands together. Electricity runs through its forearms as it slowly separates its clasped hands with two blue orbs in each hand. As slow as this attack is, the man doesn't risk trying to find an opening. The moment the dragon slams both orbs into the ground, he wraps his cape around himself, vanishing into thin air just in time to avoid the expanding cage of lightning.

When the man reappears, he is immediately met with a quick tail strike followed with a thrust, but he manages to dodge both and scratch the armor covering it with his own weapon. Before he can move out of the way, the dragon releases a short burst of fire from its mouth. However, it fails to deal any significant damage and the beast quickly figures out why. It fixes its eyes upon the man's right hand adorned with four rings. In turn, he follows its gaze and raises that arm.

"I would have never considered going through this without proper preparations...but I believe that is it high time we end this."

On the verge of bleeding out to death, the dragon digs its claws into the floor and arches its back. A loud droning sound fills the air as the gaps in the beast's armor start emitting a bright purple glow. In response, the man jumps back and conjures more blood that quickly moves to his front. Even with all the protective equipment in his possession, he can't afford to take a direct hit. The moment he completes his bloody shield, the dark creature opens its mouth to release a blast of energy hot enough to instantly burn to ash everything within a five-meter radius and almost completely destroy the pillars supporting the room's roof...and yet it completely stops when it reaches the crystalized blood of its intended target.

As the blast of energy dissipates with a bright flash, the man throws his spear right into his opponent's head, breaking its helmet and horns with the sheer force of the impact. Of course, he knows that this isn't enough to take it down and so he forms seven bloody spears out of his cape that embed themselves into the floor around the dragon. Glyphs appear around each spearhead to form a much larger glowing circle, but before the dragon can lunge at its enemy, the man snaps his fingers, breaking one of his rings and completely immobilizing the monster.

" **Die Säuberung!** "

With another snap of fingers, another ring breaks and the blood catches fire. The glyphs start glowing even brighter and soon the beast is engulfed in white-hot flames, filling the air with the unmistakable stench of burned flesh. When the fire dies down, the dragon finally collapses onto the charred floor. The man slowly walks towards the motionless body until he is close enough to pull out his spear. Even if it is now just a corpse to him, he still bows before it with a faint smile on his porcelain face.

"Fret not, my dear. The future ahead of us is bright...I am sure you will understand..."

* * *

I open my eyes.

The first thing I notice is that my whole body feels heavy like its been stuffed with lead and pinned to an admittedly comfortable bed...I'd probably be more worried if I didn't feel so warm and cosy. This is the kind of stuff that makes you ignore the alarm clock and sleep in...not that I have ever done that. Considered it, sure, but I could never afford to really do it.

What time is it anyway? The lights are off and I can't look around the room to see what it's like outside. I just hope that I won't be late for...

...Wait...

...Last night...in the alley...It was getting dark and I decided to take a shortcut. That quickly turned out to be a bad idea...To be killed for what might as well be bus money...Not the best way to go all things considered...But then why am I still here? Did somebody find me before I bled out to death? I'm obviously not in a hospital and I don't think anyone would know where I live to bring me there once they were done patching me up, which only raises more questions. It's not like I can repay the debt even if I had more money.

I try to move again, but when that doesn't work, I opt for calling out to someone instead. What comes out can be described only as a harsh, grating noise coming from someone in desperate need of water. I try it several more times until I hear footsteps. They seems to be pretty light.

Finally, the mysterious person enters the room and...draws the curtains? I wish I could see what's going on.

"You're finally awake...Did you sleep well?" - a feminine voice asks...Alright.

"Water..." - I rasp out with a little more difficulty.

"Oh, right."

Whatever she does next causes some racket, but then she helps me take a sip from a cup of water...and that's when I finally see the person I'm dealing with here.

Just as I thought, it's a girl and a good-looking one at that, but...To be honest, I wouldn't really care if she simply had green hair, but she's also wearing a really odd outfit. Unless she was about to leave for a convention or she just really likes it, I can't see why she would be dressed like this. From what I can see with my limited view, she's wearing a white dress-shirt, a dark green detached sleeve on her left arm, another detached sleeve seemingly made of dark brown belts completely covering her right arm, two belts of the same color above and below her chest, a short dark green cloak draped over her shoulders and a white bow keeping her long hair tied into a ponytail.

Still, it would probably be rude to question her choices here and after getting stabbed in a dark alley, I'm in no position to do that anyway. Fortunately, that heavy feeling is slowly leaving my body, but I'm not sure how long it will take for it to disappear completely.

"Thank you...Where am I?" - I ask, now without a sore throat to make my day worse...but my voice still sounds odd and so I try to keep it down a little.

"In my humble abode...a few miles away from the Silent Woods..." - the girl replies...

"...Uh, come again?"

"I didn't think you were hurt that badly. You're at my place in the middle of nowhere. What else can I say?" - she replies, clearly a little annoyed, but still trying to remain calm.

"Look, I'm grateful and all, but I don't have the time for this. I'll get in trouble if I end up being late." - I explain as I try to crawl out of the warm blankets. I don't get very far before the girl moves be back into place.

"Hey, don't you dare run away until you've recovered! I didn't bring you here just to have you reopen your wounds like that!" - she scolds me a little too loudly to my liking.

...something feels off...no, everything feels off now. This girl is one thing, but...It's hard to describe. It's like I've been wearing heavy clothes for a few years, then took them off. Another thing I've noticed is that there are pillows under my head, back and legs, but despite having none under my butt, I can still feel the bed underneath me in addition to...something else. I'm not even sure what to compare it with. Of course, none of this is even comparable to that awful itch.

Ignoring the girl's protests, I sit up and move my hands to scratch between my shoulderblad...I'm pretty sure that my hair isn't this long. In fact, I never let it grow out like this...or bleach it for that matter. The only explanation I can think of is that this girl put a wig on me for some reason and so I try to r-

W-What the hell?! These...these are not my hands! They are way too thin and too pale and these fingernails are too long a- no, wait, these aren't...

"Um...Are you alright?" - the girl asks and she almost sounds concerned, but I'm a little busy freaking out here to give her a response.

...No, I should calm down. This is just a...really weird fever dream and not even the weirdest one I had...but before it ends...I remove the blanket completely to see what else it has in store for me.

...

...

Alright, this is actually the weirdest one.


	2. Unusual Predicament

A dream or not, I should take one thing at a time to keep it less confusing than it already is. Focusing on what I'm wearing first doesn't sound like a bad idea.

I've gotta say, I'm not a big fan of the gothic lolita style and it's certainly lacking colors. The white lace and frills along with unnaturally pale skin contrast well with the dress' black fabric, but these long sleeves look like they would get in the way and these dark purple lines should be on a futuristic body suit, not a dress like this or the black thigh-highs that accompany it. The black boots aren't anything remarkable aside from the metal plates covering them and their talon-like heels which would certainly make walking a chore. And finally, there's a large black bow tied near the tip of "my" tail. It's actually kinda cute.

Speaking of which, I have a tail. A black scaly tail longer than "my" legs. I'd dismiss it as a part of the outfit if I didn't actually feel it. It does explain the pillows though. I don't think anyone would be able to lie on their back with this thing in the way. Not sure why logic would matter in a dream, but I don't know how exactly those work and I've been through some dreams that felt real like this one. Most of them were about being late for school instead of something like...this, but I still couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.

Either way, aside from a tail, sharp claws and incredibly long black hair with purple tips, I don't see anything else that could be called unusual.

...well, that is if I ignore how this isn't a male body. It's not exactly...lacking either. Overall slender, but there's enough mass up there to be noticeable. I'd probably stare at someone like this for quite a bit, but the problem is that I'm not looking at someone else right now and I don't even know what to think of it...Perhaps I should take a closer look before I wake u-

"Y'know, it's rude to ignore someone who's talking to you." - the girl points out, finally reminding me of her presence.

Now that I can turn my head, I see the rest of her outfit and it's about as questionable as the rest of it. Her skirt doesn't even reach her knees and one of her dark green stockings is bound with belts below her knee. It looks very uncomfortable and it's probably harmful in the long run. I've seen worse, but it was limited to fiction...Do dreams count as fiction? I mean if you think about i- No, I shouldn't keep her waiting. This whole thing can turn into a nightmare really quickly if I don't play along. I had that happen before and I don't wanna get smothered by bloodshot eyeballs again.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something...Um, can I have your name? I don't feel like calling you "you" every time." - I ask. I wonder what it's gonna be like. It's probably going to sound exotic or dumb. I'm certainly going to be surprised if it's something completely mundane.

"I'd like to know who you are first, but...Very well. You may call me...Zippel." - Zippel replies. For some reasons, the way she pronounced that name bothers me. It's as if she's not used to saying it and her accent isn't helping here. Maybe it's not real one, but then again, none of this is real either.

"Alright, Zippel...Why am I here?" - I ask. Let's see where this little fantasy takes me.

"While I was out gathering herbs, I saw you being dragged away by the current of a nearby river. Having seen the results of such a trip more times than I'd like to admit, I fished you out and decided to bring you here to give you the treatment you needed." - my...savior replies. That's kinda rough.

"But wh-"

"I believe I have the right to ask you some questions. What are you and how did you end up there anyway?" - she interrupts me with her own question. Damn it, what should I even say? I'm not creative enough to play along and...

Wait...I think I should check something first...As unlikely as it is, I should make sure this IS a dream before I say or do anything stupid. The whole things seems a little too real and I can't think of anything that would make me see any of this. The last thing I remember is getting stabbed and something tells me that wouldn't brew up dreams as ridiculous and detailed as this one. With that in mind, I pull one of my sleeves and pinch m- SHIT! I forgot about the claws!

"Oh for goodness' sake! Are you dumb or suicidal?!" - the girl shouts as she quickly grabs me by...

My wrist...It's bleeding...It hurts and I'm bleeding out...No no no no, this is just...This can't be real! I refuse to accept that! There are so many things wrong about this and I don't even know where to begin!

How did this happen? When did it happen? Where am I? What am I? What happened to my real body? Did I die? Is this some weird form of afterlife? Another world? A different timeline? How is this even possible? What am I supposed to do now? What am I go-

"Hey hey hey hey, you're safe, there's nothing to worry about...Calm down...Just breathe in and out..." - Zippel says as she holds the sides of my head with both of her hands.

In a few minutes, my breathing goes back to normal, but the girl's worried expression doesn't leave her face. If this is real, then she is also real and I can't just panic like this. Even if she has something to gain from this, she still saved...me? I'm not sure what exactly happened, but I don't think I'd be here without her and I certainly appreciate that. I can't tell her much or return the favor, so, the least I can do is trying to keep things manageable for her.

"I-I'm sorry. Please forget that ever happened." - I apologize. The girl simply sighs in response.

"There's no need t...Good grief, you're a strange one.  **Guéris**." - she says before focusing on...my bleeding wrist.

My eyebrows almost retreat into my hairline when I see Zippel's left hand emit a green glow. It stings a bit, but the pain is gone by the time she releases my wrist. It's as if nothing ever happened. I could have explained all these monstrous features without resorting to something like magic, but this means that either the world doesn't work like I thought it did or it's not the one I'm used to. I think it's safe to say that trying to apply any of my prior knowledge is pointless now...or logic, for that matter.

"Ah, that's much better. Please, don't do that again. Now...where were we...Right, your identity. I honestly can't tell what you're supposed to be. At first, I thought you were a demon or something, but you're neither human nor monstrous enough to qualify and normal healing magic works on you, so, you can't be some form of star spawn either." - Zippel asks...Star spawn? Like aliens or something?

As I lie back down, I think of what to tell the girl. I don't know what exists here...wherever that is or what I have become, so, I don't even know what the truth is. Trying to come up with some lie might not work very well. For all I know, she's gonna cast meteors if I say something wrong and without knowing what she considers to be "wrong", it's a bad idea.

...I think I know what to tell her.

"I...I don't know?" - I reply. It's not very original, but if it keeps me out of trouble, then I don't have anything to complain about.

"What do you mean you don't know? Were you not informed of such vital information?" - the girl asks for clarification with surprise evident on her face.

"I just...don't remember...I don't remember anything." - I reply. I'm not sure how convincing that sounds, but apparently it's enough for her.

"...Of course...Very well, let's leave the rest for later. Are you feeling hungry?" - Zippel asks. Now that she mentions it, I am starving...but something's bothering me.

"Yeah, but...why are you doing this?" - I ask. I'm just trying to play it safe here.

"Hm? Oh, it is quite simple. I need money and you're not exactly a commoner, are you? Well, you're unlikely to remember that, but your build and attire make it obvious. Perhaps you are some noble family's daughter? Either way, I am sure they would be more than happy to have you back." - she replies. Well, at least now I know what kind of person she is...I guess I'm a little relieved?

"So, are you going to hold me for...ransom?" - I ask. I don't even know if there's anyone out there who would pay her.

"W-What?! No! I'll just find your parents, get rewarded and be done with it! Who the hell do you think I am?!" - the girl cries out indignantly, waving her arms around as she tries to clear out this misunderstanding.

"...and if you don't find them?" - I ask. For a good minute or two, Zippel remains silent, which only makes me more nervous.

"I'll...I-I'll chop off your tail, claws and horns and then dump you somewhere." - she replies weakly, but I know better than to vocalize my doubts...Horns?

I run my hand through my hair and stumble upon something hard sticking out of my head past my hairline. They are angled low and they don't curve downward too much, but they are twice as long as my hands in addition to being sharp. Thankfully, I don't end up pricking my fingers when testing that.

"Well then, if you need something, you are free to call me. That is, if you actually need my help. Do not expect me to fetch you something when you can do it yourself." - Zippel says before leaving the room.

...Geez, what did I get myself into...


	3. An Unfortunate Incident

Right now, there's no point in trying to think of a way to fix...this.

Before I can get to that, I have to learn where I am and how this place works. I don't have to know every single detail and I'm not even sure if I have the time for that, but I do need to know how magic works here and how far it can go. Zippel certainly knows something about it, being a magic user and all, but she's unlikely to know everything. In other words, I have to find someone else to help me with my problem, whether it's getting to my time period or my world. Of course, there's no knowing what will happen if someone else meets me. I'm clearly not human and that rarely goes well in any setting. I don't know how different I am, but my appearance alone should be enough to get me in trouble.

Speaking of which, I must get used to this body if I want to get anywhere...and that's just...uh...Where do I even begin?

I...might have thought of something like this at some point, but this is completely different from some stupid fantasy. I can admire a girl's body, but walking around in it? In these clothes? And honestly, hime cut just doesn't work with hair of this length...Well, no hairstyle can work here, but this one is still pretty bad in this case. It can probably reach my knees or even my ankles if I stand straight. There's no way to keep it out of the way without straight up cutting it, but that just doesn't sound right. It looks like a lot of effort was put into taking care of it and...Hm...

Out of curiosity, I grab one of my sidelocks with both of my hands. Even when I outstretch one of my arms, it's still not enough to reach its end. It feels pretty nice though. It's almost like silk...and it smells nice too. There's a very faint smell I can't identify, but it's only at the tips and it's hard to make out anyway. Another weird thing is that it seems to be hotter there too like it's emitting heat. I don't think it would be enough to keep someone warm in winter on its own, but it could be work like some makeshift scarf...In wonder i-

Wait, I'm getting distracted...by my own hair. Great start, isn't it?

I let my hair fall onto the bed and sit up. When I try to move my legs, I barely manage to draw my knees closer to my chest and I still don't know what to do with my tail. It goes without saying that nobody ever had a tail of this length and so I have nothing to work with here. It's too long for me to simply leave it hanging. I would end up dragging it along the ground and that's going to hurt.

I grab my tail and move it closer to my face...and I can actually feel my hands touch and move it. To my surprise, the scales its covered with don't feel rough. It's so smooth I can't help running my hand along its skin...which feels oddly nice...I'm sure I can keep doing this for a while, but I must figure out how to move this thing instead of wasting time petting it...then again, I'm not actually pressed for time or anything...maybe one more minu-

"Am I...Am I interrupting something?"

I immediately turn my head in Zippel's direction. How did I fail to notice her? And the look on her face...I've gotta explain this...somehow...or...

"Uh...Well...Um...Is dinner ready? Or is it breakfast? Lunch? What time is it anyway?" - I ask in an attempt to change subjects. She blinks a few times before shaking her head.

"Yes, it is. It's still early in the morning." - Zippel replies.

"That sounds good. I shoul-"

I almost fall onto the floor with a surprised yelp, but the green-haired girl catches me in time. Now that I'm so close to her, I can see the difference in height between us. I'd say she's at least a head taller than I am, if not taller. Despite having a light build, she doesn't seem to have any trouble holding me. Am I that light or is she that strong?

"Careful there, you haven't fully recovered yet. Looks like I'll have to carry you all the way to the dining room...Good grief..." - she mumbles with a slightly irritated tone.

This whole thing is just plain wrong, but I'm in no condition to walk right now and I'm so hungry I could probably eat the poor girl...Uh...That's probably a very bad way to put it...

...Zippel is surprisingly patient all things considered. It doesn't look like she's that desperate for money if she has a roof to live under and she's not dressed in rags either. She's putting a lot of effort into something that might not even end up benefiting her. That's exactly why it seems suspicious to me. Maybe I should give her the benefit of a doubt...Then again, that's kinda unreasonable considering how I got into this mess in the first place...We'll see how things go.

In less than a minute, we reach what I assume to be the dining room and with the mage's assistance, I sit down on a rather large wooden chair. It's obviously not meant to be used by someone with a tail and so I have to sit in a rather awkward way to avoid squashing my extra appendage...but I'm willing to ignore it if it means I can eat whatever Zippel has prepared for breakfast. It smells nice. I'd say much better than what I'm used to eating every day.

"Wait here. I'll warn you in advance that I have no intention of spoon-feeding you regardless of your current state. There is a limit to everything." - the girl warns me before leaving once again. Fair enough.

Now that I'm alone, I am free to continue my examination, but I can't keep my mind off food. I don't know where its source is, but that smell is just overwhelming. It seems to be something fried...like fish? Fish and herbs I think? I don't really care what it is though. The mere thought of it is enough for me to drool over it. It's very hard to resist the urge to run after the mage just to fill my stomach faster.

Fortunately, I don't have to wait for too long for Zippel to return with a tray and two plates in hands and I was right. It is fried fish and it looks so damn good despite having only some herbs as garnish. I want to sink my teeth into it so badly, but it's obviously not meant to be eaten by me alone and so I just keep staring at it...until I notice an odd thumping sound...Was I...

"You're really looking forward to this, ain't ya? I-I suppose that should please me as the one who prepared this dish, but...Let's just begin our meal."

As much as I want to taste that fish, I can't do that just yet. Now that I know that my tail is functional, I have to make sure it doesn't cause any more ruckus. It takes some time to do it, but I manage to move most of it onto my lap. Moving it without any assistance feels surreal and the only thing I can compare it with is bending my spine except it extends way past my butt and it's much more flexible. There's still some stiffness to it, but it should be gone soon. I wonder how flexible it really is.

With that done and over with, I dig into my plate. It tastes so damn good and, most importantly, it sates my hunger. The possibility of this fish being poisoned comes to my mind long after it loses any meaning and I brush it aside without a second thought. I'd rather die eating something like this than get stabbed in a dark alley and left to die for pretty much no good reason. Now that I think about it, isn't that some custom overseas? Like the last meal before execution or something? I can't tell whether that's cruel or merciful. I'm not sure what I would ask for either...Maybe some home-cooked meal?

Before I even realize it, my plate is empty and I'm left licking my lips...and chin...My tongue really shouldn't reach that far...and I haven't even touched the wooden utensils...This is just...

"...Y'know, I don't feel like having breakfast anymore. You can eat my portion too if you want to." - Zippel says before pushing her plate towards mine with a disgusted look on her face.

I'm sure that if I had a mirror, I'd see a girl with a face as red as a tomato. I don't remember the last time I felt so embarrassed and it makes me wish I wasn't here at all. It's not like I have no manners. I never had THIS happen before. Then again, I never was...whatever I am now. It's unfair to compare my past experiences with any of this.

"I...I'm really sorry about this... I just...I don't know h-"

"It's fine, don't get worked up over it...But please, never do that again. Never, you hear me?" - the girl almost pleads me, doing her best not to look at me.

...

...

...Well...I guess it would be a shame if I let her work go to waste...I just hope I don't get carried away like this again...


	4. A Dark Forest

With all preparations done, we leave the house and...needless to say, I'm really not suited for travelling through a forest.

The uneven terrain is hard to walk on as it is and I'm wearing high heels, something I've never done in my life. Simply lifting one foot off the ground throws me off-balance and when I do take a step, my legs start wobbling and it's hard to take another. Fortunately, these heels aren't going to snap anytime soon no matter how many times I stumble. Then again, everything would be much easier if I could remove them...I think...

That aside, I like the atmosphere here. The air is fresh, the lush trees are nice to look at and it's just so...quiet here. It's refreshing after living in a city for so long...but I can't say that I'd rather live here. If I wasn't following Zippel, I'd easily get lost in such a dense forest. I have no idea what's lurking here either and I really don't want to find out. After all, she mentioned demons and aliens earlier and while I don't know how they work here, I doubt I'll have a good time if I run into them.

"Where are we going?" - I ask as I move another branch out of the way.

"To 'The Seventh Sky'...Right, the name means nothing to you. It's a little inn in a nearby village. There's someone here who should have the information I need." - the girl replies.

"And how far is it?"

"If everything goes right, we'll be there in under two hours."

Speaking of her, Zippel knows how to navigate here and she obviously lives here, but she really doesn't seem like a hermit to me. Why would she live so far away from others "in the middle of nowhere"? She doesn't strike me as a misanthrope either. Maybe being a mage is a bad thing here? But then she wouldn't use magic so carelessly...I'm tempted to ask, but it might be something personal and I don't want to poke my nose where it doesn't belong.

The farther we travel, the harder it gets for sunlight to breach the treetops until none of it makes it through. Fortunately, there are some weird bell-shaped flowers growing here with blue glowing petals and they provide us with enough light to see where we're going. I pluck a few of them out of the ground to use them as a makeshift torch, but their petals quickly stop glowing and so I throw the now useless flowers away.

"Ignis flowers are quite delicate. You had the right idea, but you need more of them and a special spell to preserve the flowers for a few days to make a proper lantern...or you can grind them into powder and use it to flavour food. Just make sure not to use too much or else you'll end up with something too spicy to eat." - Zippel says without turning to face me...Alright.

The sound of rustling leaves and creaking wood draws my attention and so I look around. That's when I see four disembodied red orbs...no, those are eyes.

It's hard to make out all the details, but I can see what looks like a large ray perched on a tree, holding onto the thick branch with its four bird-like legs. Its whole body seems to be covered in feathers except for its head, which looks more like the insides of a throat with ten fangs at the top and three much larger fangs at the bottom. Even with such poor lighting, I can clearly see saliva dripping from its mouth. It's a little hard to tell how big it is from this distance, but it's certainly larger than a dog...and it's not alone.

"What are these things?" - I ask, making sure to keep my voice down to avoid alerting the monsters.

"Ah, it's a star spawn. A Death Ray, to be precise." - she replies, pointing her wooden staff at one of the creatures in question.

"Is it because they look like rays?" - I ask. I mean the resemblance is kinda loose, but it's still there.

"Not exactly. When a Death Rays attacks its prey, it shoots rays of energy which quickly heat up its target's blood without directly damaging its flesh. The process is slow enough to get rid of these things before your blood starts boiling, but it's a little tricky when a pack of Death Rays gathers." - Zippel replies as she turns her head to look at the things surrounding us.

"That's...nasty." - I say quietly, now even less eager to disturb these monsters.

"You don't say...However, they are surprisingly delicious. Their wings in particular are quite juicy and if you cook them just right, their meat simply melts in your mouth. You can get away with eating them raw too although they are much better when cooked. I don't want to waste too much time, but if you want to, we can kill one and eat it right here." - the mage offers as she rubs her chin.

"...Yeah, um...thanks for the offer, but I think we should keep going." - I say. What she described does sound kinda neat, but they still look disgusting.

"Very well...Something is not right. They usually attack humans on sight...Nevertheless, we should leave this area as soon as possible." - the girl says, noticeably increasing her walking pace. I catch up, but not before giving the Death Rays another glance. I really don't like the way they all just stare at us.

I'm relieved when we finally leave the dimly lit the forest and enter a clearing. It was getting a little claustrophobic for comfort and the star spawn made it even less pleasant even if we didn't see any aside from that pack, which didn't attack us anyway. Unfortunately, I'm already exhausted from walking for so long and so I have to stop for a bit.

"Let's take a break." - the mage says before she stops as well.

I kinda want to just sit down and rest, but doing that incorrectly will result in dirty clothes and I have no idea how to wash them here. Squatting with my tail raised seems like a good solution to this problem...but first, I want to check something. There's a lake nearby and it's clear enough to reflect everything almost perfectly. I don't have to walk too far away from the girl to reach it and in about a minute, I reach the lakeshore, then bend down to take a look at my reflection.

...Damn...I'm not sure if this counts as narcissism, but I look beautiful. The face of a girl with purple eyes staring back at me is a little surreal and it's hard to accept that this is me even when I start rubbing my cheeks. I don't plan on staying in this body for long, but it could have been much worse. However, as I examine myself, I start noticing how...off everything feels. It just looks and feels...too perfect I guess? My unnaturally pale skin, vertical slit pupils and noticeably elongated fangs aren't helping here and that's without taking into account things like my claws and tail. It reminds me of those monsters that were said to attract men with their beauty only to devour them once they get too close.

To make matters worse, when I try to assume a more neutral expression, it ends up looking more like a scowl. More cheerful expressions look just fine, but the sinister ones look a little too convincing. However limited my stay here is, I don't want to give people the wrong impression. Still, I have to admit that it does go well with my appearance and my voice...I think one line won't hurt.

"Off with his head." - I mutter, lowering the pitch of my voice to sound a little more intimidating...Yeah, I'd better not talk like this.

Just to make sure she didn't hear it, I turn to look at Zippel and find her staring at her right arm. I'm not sure what's so interesting about it, but I'm in no position to judge her when I got caught petting my tail. I'm glad she hasn't mentioned that so far...or the other incident for that matter. I can't say for sure if it's because she's trying to be nice or she doesn't want to remember any of it.

Anyway, I think I should leave her alone for now. We both need some rest.

* * *

I have lost track of time a while ago, but it doesn't matter now that I can finally see what looks like a town surrounded by a tall and sturdy wall. It's certainly not as big as any city I've seen and it's obviously much more primitive. Then again, that's not a fair comparison. I'm not even sure what year it is here...and I don't think I can figure that out. With the existence of magic and monsters, history would be completely different anyway.

The gates are open, but there are armored men with spears guarding it and there might be more out of sight. It would make sense to have some archers there, right?

"Hide your tail and wrap my cloak around your head to hide your horns. I'd rather not get in trouble." - Zippel says before taking off her green cloak and giving it to me.

"Why would we get in trouble?" - I ask as I follow the girl's instructions, wrapping my tail around my upper thighs to keep it out of sight. It feels a little awkward and it's hard to move my legs like this, but it works well enough for me.

"Some people might mistake you for all sorts of nasty things. That won't be much of a problem once we are inside." - she replies...Well...that sucks. It's not too surprising considering how that sort of stuff goes in fiction, but I really didn't want it to be a problem here.

With most of my inhuman features hidden, we walk towards the gate. As we get closer, I notice claw marks on the gate and the walls near it. Some of them look pretty deep although none are deep enough to let me see what's behind. Something big must have left these like the size of an elephant or bigger...I'm not sure. I mean it could have been something colossal with tiny arms or something small with giant claws.

"Halt. Identify yourself." - one of the guards commands once we approach them.

"Do you ever get tired of asking me the same question?" - the girl asks in response, tapping his helmet with the tip of her wooden staff. I want to tell her that this is rude, but the man doesn't seem to care much and so I keep my mouth shut.

"I'm sorry, but such are the rules." - he says. The man next to him simply shakes his head.

"There comes a point where following rules like these becomes unnecessary. I do have to ask who the girl accompanying you is though. You usually come here alone." - the other guard says, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

"It's nothing you should worry about. You can rest assured that she will not cause any trouble or stay with me for long." - Zippel says, briefly turning to look at me. All I can do is give her a nervous smile. I certainly don't want to get in trouble, but that doesn't mean everything will go well, especially when I have no idea how everything works here.

"Very well. Welcome to Thouvert."


	5. First Impressions

Now that I'm walking among other people, I can see how troublesome it is to have this body.

Simply being here draws a lot of attention. Almost everyone who passes by stares at me. I'm not sure whether it's my unsteady gait, my fancy outfit, my inhuman features, my unnatural beauty or all of the above, but it does tell me something. Demihumans are either so rare almost nobody knows about them or outright non-existent. Nobody looks at me with contempt or anything that would imply a strong distaste for such creatures. So far, people react to my presence fear, confusion or complete indifference.

Fortunately, nobody approached me or said anything so far. I really don't want to deal with that sort of stuff. It's good to know that they mind their own business...or Zippel walking next to me discourages them from doing anything. I wouldn't call her scary or anything, but there's just something about her that tells me not to mess with her...not that I want to mess with anyone.

Having people other than the green-haired girl around gives me a good idea of how short I am. Assuming everything in this world has the same size, I should be a little over five feet tall...Maybe five feet three inches? I'm not very good at estimating an object's size, especially when I can't actually see it. It's certainly a far cry from my old six feet. I'm not the sort of person who brags about that sort of stuff, but it did feel nice to be that tall. Being so small doesn't exactly appeal to me and that's why I have to go back...among many other more important things.

That aside, this town ain't half bad. It's not made of gold and marble or anything, but what's there is good enough. Everything's clean and there's that lived-in feeling that's absent from large cities. Unfortunately, I'm no expert on architecture and so I can't say anything about it. As for the people living here, most of them look pretty good. I have already seen several cute girls here and I can safely say that some of them actually looked better than my current body just because they look natural. While I'm not into men and never will be, I have to admit that they look just as good.

"Don't let your guard down. With everyone busy dealing with the recent star spawn attacks, there's no one left to deal with the monsters inside." - Zippel warns me, tearing me out of my pointless musing.

"Monsters? What kind of monsters?" - I ask. Shouldn't they deal with threats from the inside first? It doesn't look like anyone's in danger here.

"Why, humans of course. It would be foolish of me to say that they are all vile beasts, but it's impossible to deny that some rotten eggs exist in the basket and unlike, say, a Dream Eater or a Fool's Angel, you can't tell who you're dealing with until they decide to reveal their true nature. Even the most amiable of us might be hiding something nasty underneath that facade." - she replies. I didn't expect things to be any different here, but it's still unfortunate.

The girl takes a turn to the left and enters a small building with me following her inside. I don't even have the time to take a good look at the interior before an unpleasant smell reaches my nose. It's like a horrible mix of several other smells and while some of them would be tolerable on their own, it's a bit hard to breathe when they all come together. The stench of alcohol is probably the most noticeable one. Maybe I'm just not used to it.

The interior is kinda neat. For th most part, it's nothing special like there are some potted plants here and there, a trophy hung on a wall, but the best part is the set of blue crystals on the walls that gives the place soothing blue lighting. The customers here seem to be mostly common people. Only two thuggish men and some weird dude in sleek black armor with fancy golden markings stick out, more so the latter than the former.

Something about him just draws my attention. That black hat looks kinda stupid and I can't really tell what it's supposed to be beyond that. It's like something between a beret and a regular wide-brimmed hat with the same golden markings his armor has. His cape is long enough to almost reach the floor and there are...blades attached to it? But the most noticeable feature of this guy is his featureless white mask. How does he even walk around with this thing?...Is he...staring at me? He's keeping his head down, but I can feel him looking at me.

...Anyway, we approach a young man behind the bar cleaning a glass. He wouldn't stick out much if he didn't have shoulder-length disheveled blue hair and a nasty scar over his right eye. If he was a little thinner and didn't have that scar, he'd be great boy band material.

Anyway, he takes his good eye off the glass for a bit to look at Zippel and then at me before going back to work. I assume we're not here to order drinks or anything like that.

"Decided to grace us with your presence once more, Zippel?" - the man says and I can already tell he's not someone I'd want to talk to. He seems to have some sort of an accent too, but it's much thicker.

"Do not take that tone with me. I am not here to put up with your nonsense. I have questions to ask." - the girl says.

"You know the rules: order something first before talking." - he reminds the mage, earning a frustrated groan from her.

"Then get your ass movin' and pour me some wine." - she orders. With a chuckle, the...bartender? Whatever his occupation is, he puts down the now clean glass and pulls out a bottle of wine along with a much smaller glass.

"So, who's she? Looks like a foreigner to me and a very cute one at that." - the man asks as he pours wine into the glass. I can't help giving him a flat look and I almost tell him to shut up before deciding against it.

"That's what I'm trying to find out. Apparently she lost her memory, so, I can't get anything out of her, but there has to be somebody looking for her and you of all people should have heard of something like that." - Zippel says in response...What if he knows something useful?

"Makes sense I guess. Let me take a look...Hm...Hold on...What the hell is this thing?" - he asks quietly with a narrowed eye, gesturing at my head...or horns specifically. He probably doesn't want to alert others.

"I have no idea what she is. Healing magic works on her and, unless she made a very big mistake, she's clearly not a demon. I can't think of anything else, but if she hasn't bitten my head off yet, then I don't care. Just tell me if you know anything." - she replies before downing her glass of wine...I'm pretty sure that's not how you drink it, but I'd rather not mention it.

"I don't think I've heard of anyone looking for a...person like her. I'll have to ask others." - the bartender says.

"...Hey, mind leaving us for a bit? There's something I want to talk about with this idiot. You can sit over there until we're done." the girl tells me, pointing at a vacant table.

"Can I have a drink first? I'm kinda thirsty." - I ask. I'm also hungry, but that might be a little too much to ask for.

"Sure. I see no reason to deny you something so cheap. You've heard her." - Zippel replies before the bartender pours me some water.

With a glass of water in hand, I walk over to the table. They both wait until I'm far enough before they resume their conversation. I wonder what they are talking about...It's certainly not something personal. They know each other, but it doesn't seem like the time to talk about that sort of stuff.

...right. I can't really sit comfortably on a chair. Even a stool would cause some discomfort. I don't feel like standing either and so I sit down with my tail awkwardly squashed under my butt and my skirt tucked underneath. I hope those two will end their conversation soon or else it's gonna grow numb and I really don't want to have that tingling feeling in my tail after it falls asleep. It's bad enough when it happens to my hand when I accidentally fall asleep on a desk, but this thing is much bigger. Of course, having any part of your body squeezed like this is bad enough on its own.

I quickly down the glass of water and put it back onto the table. Since I have nothing better to do, I just start circling its rim with my clawed finger. It ends up tipping over in a minute or two, but fortunately, the two mounds of flesh resting on the table cushion its fall...it obviously wouldn't break from something like this, but...

A faint noise from outside draws my attention. Unfortunately, when I try to listen closely, the customers' conversations end up drowning it out. What was that all about? I...I probably shouldn't leave, but I'm also really curious about it...I don't think she's going to say anything if I leave for a minute...Okay, she probably will, but it's not going to affect anything, right?

I put the glass back on the table and stand up. I feel relieved once my tail is no longer squashed under my own weight, but I decide not to linger on that and head outside instead. Something's definitely going on somewhere here...I think I hear somebody shouting angrily. I have a bad feeling about it and yet I can't help walking further away from the inn towards the source of that sound.

When I take a turn to the right, I find out what's happening. There's a large man dragging a struggling girl in torn clothes by her hair. Another thing I notice is a bunch of wooden splinters near the entrance of a building with no door...So that's what I heard. Zippel warned me about this sort of stuff, but I didn't expect to run into a guy like that so soon!

"I pay and you do your goddamn job! What's so hard to understand here?!" - he shouts and I wince when he yanks the girl's hair, forcing her to stand up.

"W-We don't provide such services!" - she tries to retort only to get backhanded.

I look around and see that nobody is willing to interfere. They either run away or watch the scene unfold...but I can't bring myself to ignore this too. I've gotta do something. Things will get ugly if nothing is done about this and so I walk towards the man. It's kinda scary and it gets harder as I get closer and realize how big he is in comparison. Seriously, he could crush my head with those hands...which also means that the girl won't survive if he decides to hit her a little harder.

Once I'm only a few feet away from the man, he briefly stops to look at me...Now that I'm much closer to him, I can sense the smell of alcohol and it's much worse than it was in the inn.

"L...Let her go!" - I shout...It sounds more like a squeak than anything even remotely threatening.

"Mind your business!" - the man shouts in response, making me back away a little.

"I-I'll call the police!" - I threaten h...Shit, I forgot they are busy dealing with the monsters from outside...Is it even called "police" here?

"Police? Hah! If you want to pick a fight, then don't cry for help!...Y'know what? I'll give you a chance! I wanna see your face when you realize how useless you are! C'mon, bitch, hit me with all you've got! Gimme your best shot, I dare ya!" - he taunts me, releasing the girl's hair from his grasp, then turning to face me properly and spreading his arms wide.

I...I really doubt I can put up a fight...but now that he's no longer holding her, maybe if I can make him flinch, I'll be able to grab the girl and run away. He doesn't look like someone who can run very fast...I mean I can't do that either, but we should still be able to get away from him. I'd probably have a higher chance of success if I could reach his face, but his gut should be good enough...Alright, here goes nothing...

To my greatest astonishment, the man is sent flying the moment my fist hits him. I just stand in place with eyes open wide, staring at his unconscious body...Wait...He is unconscious, right? That looked like it hurt and...Um...I'm pretty sure humans don't live through that...Does that mean I...No...No no no, I couldn't have killed him!

A soft hand grabbing my own hand briefly distracts me from these thoughts and I turn to look at the girl.

"Thank you." - she says quietly. It manages to bring a faint smile to my face and I do feel a little better...Oh, thank God! I can hear his groans of pain.

"Well, at least you're alri-"

"YOU DUMB LIZARD...GIRL...THING! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"


	6. Safety

I rub the top of my head where Zippel hit me with her wooden staff. She didn't hit me that hard, but it still stings.

"What were you thinking?! Did I not tell you to stay close?" - the green-haired girl yells at me.

"I heard something and decided to check it out...and no, you actually didn't tell me that." - I reply. She tries to retort, but nothing coherent comes out of her mouth until she takes a deep breath to regain her composure.

"S-Still, you shouldn't be out here dealing with idiots like that guy. You're just a stupid little girl and there are all sorts of sick people. He could have killed you...or worse." - she says, looking at the man in question.

"I know that...but I couldn't just do nothing. She would have died otherwise." - I say in response, pointing at the girl I have just saved. She is busy fixing the mess that her blue hair has become, but she's clearly listening to our conversation.

"Are you seriously trying to play the hero here?! I'm sure this had nothing to do with you and yet you put yourself in danger without even thinking about it!" - Zippel suddenly bursts out. She raises her staff as if preparing to hit me again, but then lowers it again.

"Am I not allowed to help others?" - I ask with a slightly more annoyed tone. I'm willing to follow her, but if I have to ignore things like these, then I'd rather search for the solution alone.

"It's...It's not that. You just...Look, your heart is in the right place and that's great. It's more than what I can say about most of the nobles I've seen. However, you shouldn't involve yourself in such matters without thinking it through. You could have at least warned me." - the mage says, rubbing the bridge of her nose. So that's how it is...Hm...

"...were you worried about me?" - I ask. So far, all she talked about was my disregard for my own safety. She has yet to mention things like drawing unnecessary attention.

"Of course! I'm not gonna get any money if you're dead. Now then, miss hero, how did you even take him down?" - she asks.

"I...just...punched him? I have no idea what happened. I-I swear I wasn't trying to kill him!" - I reply before taking another look at the drunkard to make sure he's still alive...Yeah, he is.

"So this is your natural strength...Damn, you're strong. Alright, show's over, there's nothing to see here! Mind your own damn business!" - Zippel shouts at the crowd, driving most of it away.

"Um, ar-"

I let out a rather embarrassing squeak when something grabs my tail. I quickly turn around and see that blue-haired girl examining my extra appendage. She releases it as soon as she realizes that I'm looking at her, but I choose not to say anything as I really don't know what I'm even supposed to do in a situation like this...Yeah...This is...awkward.

"...I-I'm sorry, it was moving and I was curious and...I didn't think it was real." - the girl in torn clothes says, doing her best not to look at me.

"It's...okay...I guess?" - I try to assure her. At least she isn't running away or calling me a monster like in some fictional works. I mean if she cared that much, she would have ran away the moment she saw me punch that guy. I certainly wouldn't have stayed after seeing something like that.

"Is there anything I can do to reward you?" - she asks. I briefly consider asking for a kiss, but then I remember why she had to be saved in the first place and decide not to ask for something so stupid. Besides, it would be really weird with my current body.

"There's no need for tha-"

"I insist! It...It won't feel right to me if I don't return the favour somehow...Maybe we can offer you a discount or something? You'll certainly be welcomed at our restaurant." - the blue-haired girl says, gesturing at the building with no door.

"Restaurant?"

"Well, we started just a few weeks ago, but I can assure you that you'll like it! Does that sound acceptable?" - she asks. It certainly does sound tempting. Maybe I'll even have a chance to taste something new. I love trying out foreign dishes, but to taste something from another world...

"I've heard some good things about this place. I think it's a reasonable reward, but it's up to you to decide. After all, you're the one who helped her." - Zippel says.

"...Alright, I'll come back here later." - I reply.

"Ah, right.  **Lie**."

Zippel taps the ground with the butt of her staff and almost instantly several vines emerge around the drunkard, each one tightly wrapping around his limbs before burrowing back underground. He doesn't struggle, but they look thick enough to keep him in place. Seeing her use magic like this isn't surprising at all considering what she looks like. I wonder if appearance of other mages matches what sort of magic they use too or it's a matter of preferences.

I raise an eyebrow when the mage walks up to the man and unceremoniously takes his pouch.

"Are you seriously stealing that guy's money?" - I ask, pointing at the pouch.

"Spoils of war." - the green-haired girl says in response, shoving the item in question into...a rift in space? It's not very big and it vanishes as soon as she pulls her hand out of it, but...

"What the hell was that?" - I ask. It's not something you see every day.

"Will I have to...Urgh...To put it simply, it's just a magical storage. Neither of us has any pockets and there's only so much you can carry before it starts weighting you down. It's a simple utility spell all mages should know." - she replies...Oh. Well, that's very useful...Hold on...

"If there are spells that let you tear a hole in reality...Are there any spells that let you travel between worlds?" - I ask. It doesn't hurt to try.

"That's one hell of a leap...Hm...I don't think I've heard of such a spell. Why are you asking anyway?" - the mage asks...Now that I think about it, it does sound kinda suspicious. Why would an amnesiac girl think of something like that out of the blue?

"...Nevermind."

I wonder how my sister's doing...I don't know whether time flows differently here or time stands still back in my world, but I certainly hope so. Even if I'm just missing there, she is going to get worried. Simply coming home an hour late is usually enough, but this...I really hope I'm not dead or anything like that. I'm all she has left...and she's all I have as well. I shouldn't get distracted like this.

"Is something the matter?" - Zippel asks.

"Everything's fine...Let's just go back to the inn." - I reply without even bothering to face her.

We walk back to the inn in complete silence. I don't pay much attention to the smell this time although it still does kinda sting my nose. That masked man is gone, but everyone else is still here. I guess it hasn't been that long since I left. When I try to sit at the vacant table, Zippel taps my shoulder and points at the bartender with her thumb. So they did finish their conversation.

"Oh, you're safe. I thought the slavers got you, right under my nose." - the bartender says once we get close enough.

"Slavers?" - I repeat. That doesn't sound good.

"A few days ago, an infamous group of slavers somehow entered Thouvert. Several girls have already gone missing, all with the traits those bastards deem "profitable". Nobody found them yet either." - Zippel explains.

"Wouldn't you notice that something's up if that was the case?" - I ask.

"Trust me, they are good at their...job. Simply being in a crowd can be dangerous." - she replies...Now that's terrifying. I shouldn't let my guard down until we're out of this town.

"Speaking of missing people, you know Volcan the blacksmith, right?" - the man asks the mage.

"Did something happen to him?" - she asks in response, clearly concerned about the blacksmith in question.

"Not to him, but...His daughter has gone missing and now he's too distraught to keep working. I suggest finding another blacksmith until she is found...IF she is found, that is." - he replies.

"Did those slavers kidnap her?" - I ask. Seems like the obvious conclusion to me.

"No, she's too young for them. Around nine years old if I remember correctly." - he replies. I'm not sure whether this should make me feel relieved or even more worried.

"Thanks for telling me this. I'll pay him a visit soon. Now then, when will they send you a response?" - the mage asks.

"I'd say tomorrow...at best." - he replies.

"TOMORROW?!" - she shouts, making me jump a little when she slams her fist against the counter. Something bothers me about the shape of the fingernail on her thumb. The fingers on her right hand are wrapped up in bandages and so it's a little hard to tell what's underneath, but I can clearly see that it's different from the thumb on her left hand. Not sure about other fingers since they are curled up.

"Easy there. It takes time to gather information, you know? Just have some patience." - the bartender says.

"What am I supposed to do with this idiot until then, huh?" - Zippel asks, jabbing her finger into my forehead without a warning.

"You two look tired, so...you could just rent a room and stay here." - he suggests with a grin on his scarred face.

"...You just want my money, don't you?...Fine, but only for one night. I'm not paying you more than needed. Now pour me more wine!"


	7. Shopkeeper

After reserving a room, Zippel decided to go back outside to buy supplies. Since I had nothing better to do and there was still plenty of time before the sun sets, I asked if I could tag along. Fortunately, it didn't take much time to convince her.

In addition to saving me from boredom, it's also a great opportunity to learn a little more about how this world works. She's mostly interested in magical supplies rather than food or anything mundane although she still plans on buying that as well. Of course, I don't expect to immediately stumble upon the solution to my problem. Even if there is someone out there who does sell something like that, I'd have to ask quite literally every single merchant about it.

Unfortunately, the marketplace gets pretty crowded in some places and I have to be very careful to avoid getting my tail stepped on or tripping someone with it. Wrapping it around my legs makes it even harder to walk and Zippel's moving rather quickly. The only good thing about dense crowds is that less people notice that something's not right with me. My unimpressive height also helps here a little.

Another thing that bothers me is the itching between my shoulder blades. I don't know how durable this dress is, so, it would be better for me to avoid scratching anything, but it's so annoying. Even if I had normal fingernails, I'm not sure if I could afford to do it anyway...Then again, this dress doesn't seem to have any visible damage despite the state I was found in according to Zippel.

...I'm also kinda hungry and all the fruits here aren't helping with that. They look delicious and, since people here haven't advanced that far yet, I know for sure that it's all natural...well, unless magic's involved, but I don't think that's the same thing. Apples in particular draw my attention. I was always fond of apples. If I could afford them, I'd eat apples all day until I got sick...maybe even after I reach that point. My sister knows how to exploit that a little too well even though she rarely has to convince me to do something.

"You're gonna flood the town at this rate." - the girl says...and now I realize that I'm drooling. It's not much, but I still hastily wipe off whatever is there.

"S-Sorry, I was just..."

"You're really something...I suppose one apple won't hurt." - she says and, to my surprise, she actually buys one and offers it to me.

"You really shouldn't have...Thanks." - I mumble before almost immediately taking a bite. I'm glad that they have the same sweet taste here. Still, I've gotta be careful so I don't make a mess again.

"There is no need to thank me. After all, I am using the money you've earned earlier."

"How much did he have anyway?" - I ask. The bag didn't look too big, but for all I know, it could be well over thousands of...whatever the currency is.

"A little under two hundred auros. I have way more than that and I'll have more once I get rid of you. Now then, let's move on."

For a while, she looks through rather mundane items and I don't pay much attention to it. It doesn't take much time for me to eat my apple either, leaving me with nothing interesting to do. I probably should have seen this coming considering that is it just a shopping trip. The one thing I do pay attention to is how Zippel speaks. The most noticeable thing is how she pronounces "r". It's more...guttural, I guess. It's still hard for me to tell what sort of accent this is. I might have heard something like this before, but I can't remember it clearly enough.

"She's here?"

I follow the mage's gaze and find a small white tent. The fabric appears to be glowing and I'm not sure if it's just sunlight or some spell. It's almost blindingly bright and I don't like it. It seems like a bad idea to blind your potential customers and I don't even know what they're selling or whether they're selling anything at all or they offer different services.

"Who is she?"

"A traveller who concocts some of the best potions and crafts outstanding magical items in places like this. The prices can get very high, but they are reasonable. Unfortunately, she is an atrocious person who disgusts me to my very soul and the less you talk to her, the better. If she tries to touch you, let me know and I'll shove this staff up her pale ass and then make her pay for it." - Zippel explains, getting quite agitated as she gets to the less pleasant parts of it. She gets annoyed pretty easily, but this is certainly different...Hold on...

"Tries to touch me? You mean she's g-"

"The answer is probably yes and you don't want to think about it."

Thankfully, the interior is much easier on the eyes and it's much bigger too. You can easily fit a few elephants here. The wares on the display mostly consist of various bottles of different shapes along with jewelry and...is that trash over there? It's all lined up nicely, but most of it is in a very miserable state. It's hard to tell what exactly is there from a glance, but at least there's no rotten food or anything of the sort.

The person I assume to be the shopkeeper turns her head, but doesn't bother standing up from her chair, which looks rather comfortable. Her ethereal appearance is certainly striking. Hip-length white hair, almost snow-white skin, yellow eyes and slender body clad in a long white gothic dress with sleeves extending past her hands and a black eyepatch over her left eye...I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about her seems familiar...I really can't explain it.

"Ah, Zip, good to see you! Have you already used up all of your sleep medication? Or did you finally decide t-"

"If you want a whore, then go outside and get one." - Zippel bluntly interrupts the girl. Having received her warning earlier, I think I have a good idea of what the shopkeeper wants to do with her...Don't think about it...Don't think about it...

"Oh, but Zip, if I just wanted to have a good time, I'd read a book or eat a lot of sweets. I've already told you that I'm looking only for cute girls and cute boys with certain level of magical prowess. But if you're not ready yet, then I can't force you...Who is that next to you?" - she asks. The way she looks at me is completely different from the lecherous gaze aimed at the mage. Even her voice seems softer when she asks that question and it's already easy on the ears as it is.

"Her name is "none of your business" and she's from "keep your hands to yourself". Shouldn't be hard to remember." - Zippel replies. Not exactly subtle.

"I'd like to have a little chit-chat with her, if you don't mind. Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior. I can give you a little discount in return." - the shopkeeper says. That just barely manages to convince the mage.

Once we're left alone, the shopkeeper stands up...Dear God, she's tall. Over seven feet tall and yet she doesn't look all that lanky. It's more like somebody just scaled her up. She has to crouch to lean on the counter properly because of it, but the difference in size is still noticeable and she doesn't get any less intimidating...When did I wrap my tail around my legs?

"You're an...interesting person. The name's...Thanus Levia, but you can call me...Lil' Sis..." - Levia says before she starts running her hand along one of my horns...I'm pretty sure this body is younger and she's much taller anyway, but...

"Stop that! And it's way too early to suggest something like that!" - I cry out, swatting the shopkeeper's hand away and briefly attracting Zippel's attention. I give her a thumbs up when she looks at me and that seems to be enough...at least for now.

"I was simply...joking, yes. Very well...stranger, is there anything you'd like to purchase or are you merely accompanying your...friend?" - the shopkeeper asks, gesturing at the items she's selling. I really don't like the way she moves. In addition to having unnaturally smooth movements, she moves too much.

This is actually a great opportunity to find a solution to my problem. Even if I do find a way to go back to my world, there's no guarantee that I won't stay like this and it will be even more of a problem than it is here. Unfortunately, I have no idea whether I was turned into this, I'm possessing someone else or it's like a body that was created for me when I somehow got there or something along those lines. I doubt that's a common problem that has a remedy for it. Either way, it would be a good idea to at least asks if she has anything like that.

"Do you have anything that could, say, turn one back into their true self?" - I ask. Her smile briefly falters and she actually looks somewhat miserable for a second, but she's back to normal before I can say anything.

"Why, yes...of course. It's right here. Curses, poison, geas, migraine...All gone before you even know it." - she replies, grabbing one of the potions next to her and holding it in front of me. The bottle appears to be made of some silvery material with something carved into it, but I can't read any of it.

"That's...That's honestly great. How much is it?"

"Five hundred ninety nine auros."

I really should have expected something like this to cost a fortune, but that doesn't make me any happier...Calm down. I don't want to get in trouble and throwing a fit won't do anything. Besides, I wouldn't be able to take it until I'm sure that I can go back. If I suddenly turn back to normal, Zippel's probably not going to take it all that well. Whether she'd be angrier at my real self or the money she won't get for me is still uncertain.

"I see...It's a weird question, but...Do you happen to know if it's possible to travel between worlds?" - I ask. the girl raises an eyebrow and then her smile grows even wider.

"You are right. This is an odd question...Yes, it is possible! I can even tell you who can do it!" - Levia replies with an oddly smug expression on her face.

"Who is it and where can I find them? Please, tell me!" - I demand. It's certainly rude, but I really have to know the answer.

"Hahaha, very well! You will find them near No Man's Lake. Once there, you won't need any more directions to meet up...Trust me, you really won't. That's all you need to know. I'd like to talk for a little longer, but we'll be parting soon. Our little Zippel seems to be done too." - the shopkeeper says, pointing at the mage in question.

"Let's leave before she gets any funny ideas."

As soon as she dumps some gold on the counter, Zippel grabs my hand and drags me out of the tent. I can see Levia wave at me until she's out of sight and the green-haired girl sighs. She wasn't...too bad, I guess. There's still something wrong with her that extends beyond her attitude, but I was expecting something much worse. Maybe I just didn't spend enough time with her like she did.

"I believe that we're done here. Let's head back to the inn."


End file.
